by:Sarvesh
Winning a lottery must feel unreal. I wouldn’t know but I assume it must feel that way. If I did somehow win a lottery, I would wake up a different person the next day. An aura of accomplishment and importance clouding my decisions for the remainder of my days. I guess this combination is also called “arrogance” and probably the reason why many lottery winners proceed to ruin their lives. Anyways why bother imagining such things, the odds of winning are a bazillion to one.
Well, we all have won a lottery with far more unimaginable odds. The lottery of life.
I mean, what were the odds of us being alive today! Thinking about it made me realize the impossible number of variables involved in each of our equations to life. And yet here we are today, me writing this article and you reading it. Our lives are different. Some have it easier than others but more often than not we all find ourselves failing in our own eyes. It may be because you compare your lives to the person next to you or you may have had your heartbroken. There are so many causes for dissatisfaction. I struggled to meet my parent’s (completely valid) expectations and within two years I find myself struggling to live up to my expectations. To be honest I have no idea what I’m doing with my life or what I should be doing with it. It’s ironic how the same parallels can be drawn to a person winning heaps of money from a lottery and having no idea what to do with it and inevitably making poor decisions.
The competition for us today is cutthroat. There are a million people as good as you and a million more who are better. It is natural to be overwhelmed. Sometimes thinking objectively, I wonder if I should even bother trying. I shield myself from putting any effort because I feel I don’t stand a chance. I have even found comfort in such a mentality that relieves me of my short-term struggle. While I realize the folly of such a thought process, many in this world may need a helping hand. The hardships faced by people are not to be diminished. Society dictates a person to live a certain way and measures them on their abilities to follow said rules and standards. We are at a stage where a person has started to evaluate his worth based on his/her academic prowess and grades. The world grows more connected while people distance themselves further and further. We are filled with hate for the system and even have started to hate ourselves. People seem to have found an easier solution to their problems in suicide. It is easy to forget your self-worth.
The Meaning of life is not found easily. Think of life as a mathematical equation. The equations given to us are different. The variables are specific to us. What makes it tricky is that variables keep adding as we continue to solve it. We meet new people, get new opportunities, go to new places, make life-altering decisions. Each one of these can change our way to approach life. There is no one method to solve such a question. If we are stuck in a place, giving up is not the solution. Patience and perseverance will get us through. But then again, all this lofty speech is coming from a person who hasn’t found the answer to his equation. But an optimistic mentality is certainly better than giving up.
Through most of my teens, I’ve felt average and common …like another brick in the wall. I am sure many of you have felt this way at least at some point in time. Depression is just a bad day away from knocking at our door. But over the years I realized how lucky we are. By being alive you have defied the odds. You are alive on a planet made of stardust in an infinite universe. You are as rare as anything can be. You are unique and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. By winning the lottery of life, we have won ourselves something more valuable than money. We have won ourselves TIME, the time to experience this beautiful world filled with elite few just like us.
In conclusion, The equations we have been given are different. It is pointless trying to copy a solution from the person next to you. You may arrive at an answer but Life isn’t the destination. It is the journey you take to reach the answer. We are all the same but unique in this way. So do not compare yourself to others, do not feel like another brick in the wall, try to find peace in this world filled with strife. More importantly, try to find peace with yourself. Do not miss this opportunity to experience.